Cfp3157's Five Favorites of Film: Decade Defining Actors of the 1970's
It was the beginning of the modern era of Hollywood, and these were the men that pioneered it! Some of the greatest of cinema was created in this time, from crime dramas to kung fu actions to dramatic adaptions. Legends, icons, and superstars touched souls on the movie screen while disco dominated the dance floor and rock was blasting out our radios. Join me as I remember the greatest that inspired the generations to come. Number 5: John Travolta Disco was dominating the dance floor, and Travolta was it's representative on the screen. First gaining small-time fame for his television role in Welcome Back, Kotter, then he became the box office legend he is today. After that appearance, he became a box office legend for films like Grease and his Academy Award nomination for Saturday Night Fever. Although he'd only entered by the late 1970's, he'd left his touch too late for anything to be changed. Number 4: Gene Hackman Hackman's career is difficult to truly nail down, and that's what makes his breakthrough decade so special! Premiering back in Bonnie and Clyde, Hackman got into fame and fortune for his Academy-Award winning role in The French Connection. Then came The Poseidon Adventure, where he proved his diversity in this critically-acclaimed disaster film. Hackman became a legend, though, with Superman, where he became a household name as the iconic comic book villain Lex Luthor. Number 3: Al Pacino You don't ever underestimate Pacino, you hear? Possibly one of the loudest, most foul-mouthed, and quotable actors ever, Pacino is just of the big three of the 1970's. In the span of this decade, Pacino created such classics as Dog Day Afternoon, Serpico, Scarecrow, and the movie you can't refuse. Although mostly known for his outbursts of violent rampage, from his cocaine-fueled rage to his violent protest during a bank robbery, he took an entire 180 turn with The Godfather and The Godfather: Part II. Pacino's career has been amazing since. Number 2: Robert De Niro Most actors define just the decade of film; De Niro worked with Scorsese and created an entire generation. With actors like Edward Norton claiming De Niro as his inspiration, it's hard to deny his ability on the silver screen. A driving force for method acting, De Niro and Scorsese premiered into the decade with Mean Streets, creating a partnership that won awards like crazy. Then came his role as a young Vito Corleone in The Godfather: Part II, where he won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Following this, a career-defining performance as Travis Bickle in another Scorsese collaboration in Taxi Driver, which should still be considered highway robbery for not getting a nod. We don't who talked to him, but we do know everyone was- and still is- talking about him. Honorable Mentions *Bruce Lee: The Way of the Dragon AKA Where Chuck Norris is proven killable *Robert Redford: ''The Great Gatsby, The Sting, All the President's Men *Jon Voight: The Champ, Coming Home, Deliverance